Sunday, December 12, 2010

New Zealand retained their South Africa Sevens title as they beat England 22-19 in a dramatic game in the George leg of the IRB Sevens World Series on Saturday.

A last gasp penalty by Tomasi Cama was the only thing that could separate the two after full time as they were locked at 19 apiece. Cama slotted the dropkick in the fourth minute of injury time to seal the victory for New Zealand, who won in George for the fourth time in five years.

England, sticking to their bright new kits, were hoping to take their second successive tournament for the first time ever but upon reaching the final were edged out by the more experienced side. The Dubai champions had actually led 14-0 before the men in black came back into contention with some great tries.

"To play finals footy in front of an awesome crowd like this and take it right down to the last second, it was definitely a pleasing moment," said New Zealand captain DJ Forbes. "They are well-coached, well-drilled and they've got a lot of tricks up their sleeve.

"I guess to knuckle down and beat them back to back is definitely credit to the boys."

New Zealand played the last minute with a player less but managed to work a penalty after England had infringed at the ruck. "We had to take it," said coach Gordon Tietjens.

"We were down to six men and it was unlikely we were going to break down the English defense in the end there. He's (Cama) been kicking well, so we gave it a crack and it won us the game."

England lead the series standings, with New Zealand now behind them in second, and Samoa in third. The next event is in Wellington from February 4th.

This will most likely have been the last of it’s kind in George, as the agreement is up for renewal. Cape Town looks like they could be favourites to host future SA Sevens legs.

england looking very good this year.Got to admire tietjins, every year he turns youngsters into superstars only to have them picked up by pro teams, then next year he does it all again. Halai and Odonnell look like exciting prospects.

Still don't understand why people think this isn't rugby. That was awesome! Especially the DJ Forbes try, each tackle was good, but each player got an offload to a supporting player. Considering how surprisingly often support play is not there at all in 15s, its a great testament to their athleticism.

There are people who say this isn't rugby? That's mad, 7s is one of the reasons that the modern game has developed the way it has.I play 15s but in the off season we've always played 7s. The flatter attack line and quick moving of the ball can make the difference when transferred to 15s. Nowadays we can do that as loose forwards are quicker than before, and so the game has sped up. With the new rules(once everyone gets over them) the quicker ruck will make for a more exciting game, I'm all for it.

Although I don't want to be negative and I like watching the highlights, (thanks rd!) 7's is rugby in a way, but is not as good as a game as 15's. What I like most about rugby is how all the different body types and skill sets come together. 7's is a game for the specialist, the speed merchant. I understand that some loose forwards are very good 7's players and it's a tool for development, but it's a game for the backs. You need to be very fast to be an effectual 7's player,the way you need to be very tall to be a basketball center. Not a game for the masses,although easier to market than 15's.

I heard a rumour that they wore the Orange kit because they played shit earlier on in the season and coach said they didnt deserve to wear the white kit. this sounds abit far fetched to me, has anyone else heard this or are my mates bullshitters?